Q. 1. How can we understand the Absolute nature of Lord Sri Krishna? What do we mean by “Absolute Truth” and in what sense is Lord Sri Krishna the Absolute Truth? This question came to my mind when I overheard someone saying that all qualities in the material world are relative, i.e. to say someone is tall doesn’t suffice because a person considered tall in India would be considered average height in USA.
Answer by Romapada Swami: Just as in the example you have given, everything in this material world is relative or dependent on something for its existence and definition. Similarly, conceptions such as darkness, coldness or pain are irrelevant without the opposite conceptions of light, heat or pleasure — there is no absolute pain or absolute pleasure in our experience, it is only a question of relative perception. Another example: there is no meaning to the word or the concept of father independent of the existence of the relationship with a son/daughter and vice versa – therefore it is relative.
In contrast, Absolute Truth is that which does not depend upon anything or anyone else for Its existence. The definition of Absolute Truth (param satyam) is given in the first sloka of Srimad Bhagavatam – as the source everything in creation (janmady asya yatha), as being Completely Independent and fully Cognizant of everything both directly and indirectly. This Absolute Truth is Vaasudeva, Krishna and He is beyond the illusion of duality. Another way of understanding Absolute Truth is that all varieties are included and all contradictions are resolved within Him.
In this world, there is duality of matter and spirit – matter which is temporary, a source of misery and full of ignorance, and spirit which is trying to exploit this material energy. But there is no such duality in Krishna; He is Absolute Spirit, sat-cit-ananda vigraha. And His abode, the Vaikuntha planets in the spiritual sky, is also of the same Absolute nature, because there is no duality of matter and spirit. Everything there is also of the nature of sac-cid-ananda.
Q. 2. In this context, how are things absolute in the spiritual world? Even in the spiritual realm, the gopis are dearer to Krishna than anyone else, and even amongst the gopis, Radharani is most dear to Him. So, therefore there is relativity in the spiritual realm too.
Answer by Romapada Swami: There is certainly variety in the spiritual world, but not relativity as we speak of it in the mundane realm. As we have discussed in previous digests, Absolute is quite so often confused, by beginning transcendentalists, with some sort of homogeneous entity without any variegatedness, but this is not so. Those who are impersonalists have difficulty accommodating this because of their frustrated experience in the material world. Here, variety or multiplicity almost always brings quarrel, discrimination and misery, and so out of frustration and a poor fund of knowledge, they conclude that the Absolute must be devoid of any kind of variety or hierarchy.
But Krishna enjoys varieties of pleasures, and they are all of the same absolute nature – sat, cit and ananda. There are hierarchies in the spiritual world, as well – perfect, more perfect, and most perfect; pure, purer, purest, and even further ever-expanding degrees of purity and intensities of love. But they are all pure, and in that sense absolute. There is even so-called separation and lamentation in spiritual world, and even day and night, but these are all just different varieties of absolute pleasure.
The variegatedness of the Absolute is *VERY DIFFICULT* to understand from our present conditioned nature, and with a materially conditioned mind, but it is possible to understand by adopting a humble mood of service to the Absolute Supreme and by submissively hearing from those who know Him, the tattva-darshis. (BG 4.34)
